Over the last two months, the Goldman Sachs Commodity Index has racked up some fairly impressive gains, suggesting that commodities have been sensing improvement in the global economic outlook.
Crude Oil
Overall Uncertainty Continues to Decline
The overall outlook for commodities is slightly improved from last week’s dismal view. Clearly the US economy has remained suspect in the wake of the second disappointing Non-Farm Payroll result in a row.
Widespread Confusion Over Global Outlook
Over the last two weeks, the outlook for the global economy has fostered some widespread confusion. The December US Non-Farm Payroll gain was clearly disappointing, but that news was countervailed by increased attention on the decline in the US unemployment rate.
The Improvement in the Global Economy Continues
The improvement in the global economy continues, but the recovery pace obviously isn’t providing much in the way of support for the commodity markets.
Do You Understand Option Expiration, Exercising, and Assignment? Now You Will.
It is essential to understand option expiration, exercising, and assignment as a commodity option trader. Know these principles, whether purchasing outright calls or puts, selling or “writing” option contracts, or using complex option spread strategies. Not only will you be better equipped for such events, but also having this acumen could potentially improve your trading performance.
Three Facts About Commodity ETFs
Commodity ETFs vs. Futures As a futures broker at Daniels Trading, I speak to investors every day about commodity futures trading. In speaking with these investors, I commonly hear that it is more convenient to trade commodity ETFs than futures. Commodity ETFs appeal to individuals who want the diversification that ETFs bring without the hassle… Read more.
Crude Oil Futures FAQ
Futures contracts, including trading in crude oil futures, are financial instruments that carry with them legally binding obligations. Buyer and seller have the obligation to take or make delivery of an underlying instrument at a specified settlement date in the future. Oil futures are part of the derivatives family of financial products as their value… Read more.
Creating a Futures Portfolio
At the end of the day, most traders and investors are searching for something that works. For them, this involves ways to limit risk while trying to extrapolate upside opportunities. But, the question remains: how can we find simple and effective ways to do this?
What Is a Trend Line?
What is a Trend Line? A trend line is an upward or downward sloping line on a chart indicating movements of prices over a period of time, generally occurring after two or more points of resistance or support. You can choose to trade a market based on support “holds”and resistance “setbacks”, or get involved in… Read more.
Know Your Limits: Day Trading Limits Explained
There are some pretty significant differences between the futures markets and the equities markets. The first big difference is the trading hours: the futures markets trade 23 hours a day for most markets versus an 8:30 AM (central time) open and a 3:00 PM close in the equities markets. The second difference is the ease… Read more.